Right, a bottle of syrah Palin wine

California ? Democrats watching the presidential campaign may find it hard to swallow a glass of the syrah Palin.

The organic red wine, pronounced “pay-LEEN sih-rah,” comes from a small winery in northern Chile.

Since Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was picked by Republican John McCain as Republican vice presidential candidate, interest in the wine has increased.

According to distributor North Berkeley Imports’ Web site, the vintner’s name “describes a ball that was used in an ancient game played by the Mapuche, a group of people indigenous to central Chile.”

That hasn’t stopped some drinkers from making the connection to the Republican vice presidential candidate.

“I’ve seen an uptick in interest and an uptick in sales,” said David Hinkle of North Berkeley, which also imports two other Palin wines in addition to $13 bottles of syrah.